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How to really clean your house

A woman goes into her bathroom, sprays down the benches, loo, shower and tub with disinfectant, then wipes over all the surfaces with a cloth. After mopping the floor with a disinfectant, she leaves the room, satisfied her bathroom is germ-free for the week and walks into the kitchen, ready to give it the same thorough cleaning.

So what exactly might be wrong with this scenario? First up is that cloth. It’s not to say you can’t use them, more that what happens next is key in stopping the spread of germs. If that cloth now goes in to the kitchen for double duty, there’s a strong risk of simply transferring the bathroom nasties into another space in the house. The answer? You can either disinfect it after use (you need a separate cloth for cleaning the kitchen) or use disposable cleaning wipes. Also make sure you clean vanities and sinks, then showers and tubs, then toilets.

Keep it regular

If you do invest in these wipes, keep a pack in the bathroom (away from reach of children.) Why? The trick with the dirtiest and dampest rooms (germs like water, it helps them breed) in the house is to clean them regularly, rather than the once a week heavy blitz. It might sound like a lot of hard work, but once you get started, you’ll realise it takes around ten minutes a day, and you’ll never have to fear the random drop in again! Daily floor cleaning is not as important (unless you have crawlers that get up close and personal with the floor), as our hands don’t come into contact with any of the germs potentially on them, but surfaces should be cleaned daily, ideally on an “as used” basis in rooms like the kitchen.

Cleaning order

The order in which our hypothetical cleaner is taking care of business is not ideal. Start with the cleaner rooms and leave the dirtiest and dampest for last, reducing the risk of transference of germs between rooms.

Top cleaning tips

Clean as you go with areas like the kitchen – especially where food is in the equation.

Washing your hands is key; this is where germs are transferred from surfaces to surfaces, and from surfaces to your system.

Wash before and after touching food, and always after a cleaning session! Hand sanitisers are a handy way to keep hand-cleaning simple, just leave a container near the kitchen and bathroom taps.